8. The autonomy of TEC dioceses has long been recognized as a feature of TEC polity. For example, the standard text on polity when many of TEC\u2019s current bishops were trained was the volume in the widely-distributed official series in the 1950s and 1960s entitled \u201cThe Church\u2019s Teaching.\u201d\u009d It was written by the long-time sub-dean and professor of church history at the General Theological Seminary with the assistance of an \u201cAuthors\u2019 Committee\u201d\u009d composed of numerous church leaders. The author, Dr. Powel Mills Dawley, summarized the role of the diocese as follows:<\/p>\n
Diocesan participation in any national program or effort, for example, must be voluntarily given; it cannot be forced. Again, while the bishop\u2019s exercise of independent power within the diocese is restricted by the share in church government possessed by the Diocesan Convention or the Standing Committee, his independence in respect to the rest of the Church is almost complete.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
9. Moreover, the preamble of TEC\u2019s constitution explicitly identifies TEC as a constituent member of the Anglican Communion, which it characterizes (quoting the well-known Lambeth Conference resolution) as a fellowship of \u201cDioceses, Provinces and regional Churches.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
10. Thus, in the case of TEC the relevant constitutional procedures for adopting the Covenant include direct adoption by its autonomous dioceses, which are the highest governing bodies within their territory and enjoy a particular constitutional prerogative concerning constituent membership in the Anglican Communion. Indeed, given the autonomy of TEC dioceses, central bodies such as General Convention could not commit individual dioceses to the Covenant over their objection. Thus, when the Covenant is sent to the member churches, dioceses are appropriate bodies to respond at that time under the unique constitutional procedures of TEC.<\/p>\n